Chapter 28 of The Coquette is here in full — 83 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVIII
Chapter 28 of The Coquette is here in full — 83 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TO MRS. LUCY SUMNER. HARTFORD. Dear madam: You commanded me to write you respecting Miss Wharton, and I obey. But I cannot describe to you the surprising change which she has undergone.
Chapter 28 of The Coquette is here in full — 83 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
give a description of
From this reading “But I cannot describe to you the surprising change which she has undergone.”
the state capital of Connecticut; located in central Connecticut on the Connecticut river; a center of the insurance business
From this reading “HARTFORD.”
be obedient to
From this reading “Dear madam: You commanded me to write you respecting Miss Wharton, and I obey.”
-ing form of “respect” — regard highly; think much of
From this reading “Dear madam: You commanded me to write you respecting Miss Wharton, and I obey.”
United States sociologist (1840-1910)
From this reading “LUCY SUMNER.”
causing surprise or wonder or amazement
From this reading “But I cannot describe to you the surprising change which she has undergone.”
inflected form of “undergo” — pass through
From this reading “But I cannot describe to you the surprising change which she has undergone.”
United States novelist (1862-1937)
From this reading “Dear madam: You commanded me to write you respecting Miss Wharton, and I obey.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Dear madam: You commanded me to write you respecting Miss Wharton, and I obey.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I cannot describe to you the surprising change which she has undergone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But I cannot describe to you the surprising change which she has undergone.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading But I cannot describe to you the surprising change which she has undergone.
past form of “command” — be in command of
From this reading Dear madam: You commanded me to write you respecting Miss Wharton, and I obey.
dearly loved
From this reading Dear madam: You commanded me to write you respecting Miss Wharton, and I obey.
give a description of
From this reading But I cannot describe to you the surprising change which she has undergone.
the state capital of Connecticut; located in central Connecticut on the Connecticut river; a center of the insurance business
From this reading HARTFORD.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But I cannot describe to you the surprising change which she has undergone.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Dear madam: You commanded me to write you respecting Miss Wharton, and I obey.
incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
From this reading LUCY SUMNER.
a woman of refinement
From this reading Dear madam: You commanded me to write you respecting Miss Wharton, and I obey.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Dear madam: You commanded me to write you respecting Miss Wharton, and I obey.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading Dear madam: You commanded me to write you respecting Miss Wharton, and I obey.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading TO MRS.
be obedient to
From this reading Dear madam: You commanded me to write you respecting Miss Wharton, and I obey.
-ing form of “respect” — regard highly; think much of
From this reading Dear madam: You commanded me to write you respecting Miss Wharton, and I obey.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But I cannot describe to you the surprising change which she has undergone.
United States sociologist (1840-1910)
From this reading LUCY SUMNER.
causing surprise or wonder or amazement
From this reading But I cannot describe to you the surprising change which she has undergone.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But I cannot describe to you the surprising change which she has undergone.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading TO MRS.
inflected form of “undergo” — pass through
From this reading But I cannot describe to you the surprising change which she has undergone.
United States novelist (1862-1937)
From this reading Dear madam: You commanded me to write you respecting Miss Wharton, and I obey.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading But I cannot describe to you the surprising change which she has undergone.
produce a literary work
From this reading Dear madam: You commanded me to write you respecting Miss Wharton, and I obey.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Dear madam: You commanded me to write you respecting Miss Wharton, and I obey.
Chapter 28 of The Coquette by Hannah Webster Foster holds 83 sentences, grouped into 17 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 28 holds 83 sentences of The Coquette, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 28 of The Coquette by Hannah Webster Foster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 83 sentences, grouped into 17 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 17 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 28 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading The Coquette by Hannah Webster Foster on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3063 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12431 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12431, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 255 minutes of reading across 613 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Coquette section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Coquette to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Coquette, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
